Cat Behavior and Training

Most people believe that cats can’t be trained because cats don’t seem to respond to many of the methods used to train dogs, but cats do respond to training! In fact one of the first scientific studies highlighting the importance of reinforcement in animal behavior was done with cats. The first step to training your cat is to understand him. Cats aren’t as social as dogs. Dogs have been bred specifically to work together with people, whereas the primary reason cats were domesticated was to kill vermin on their own. So they’re independent, and they aren’t as naturally inclined to work for praise and attention as dogs are.